The Community Care Pharmacist (CCP) is a licensed pharmacist who displays expert knowledge of a specialized area of clinical pharmacy practice or specialty area of Pharmacy Service. The CCP manages all aspects of community care pharmacy to include policy development, quality assurance, cost effectiveness, patient outcomes, daily professional and clinical operations, and specialty functions unique to the program.

Duties

The Community Care Pharmacist (CCP) for Community Care is responsible for managing and coordinating prescription related benefits associated with community care programs utilized by the facility. The CCP is responsible for final technical and administrative quality of the work. S/he coordinates work assignments to ensure timely product delivery to a variety of patients referred by the facility for care in the community. Is responsible for developing, reviewing and enforcing all policies and procedures related to community care and associated national and local formulary requirements. Interfaces with community care staff and programs, generating, preparing, and providing information as requested. Identifies discrepancies and develops systems to ensure Pharmacy Service compliance with laws, rules, and regulations. Duties include but are not limited to: Provides high quality, patient centric care by incorporating sound management and evidence-based medicine principles to ensure safe, effective and efficient medication dispensing. Manages administrative, clinical, and technical aspects of medication related benefits associated with community care programs, planning short, intermediate, and long-term objectives for Pharmacy Service and the facility. Maintains working knowledge of the VA national formulary and medication criteria for use. Adjudicates prior authorization requests for prescriptions issued by community care providers. Communicates with providers to resolve issues. Interfaces with VA staff and third-party vendors (EHIM for example) in administering pharmacy benefits for prescriptions issued by VA providers for filling in community pharmacies. Coordinates safe, effective, and timely processing of prescription orders for the patient. Processes community care prescriptions sent directly (mail, fax, electronic) from community providers. Enters prescriptions into the facility database for mail dispensing to patients. Serves as a technical information resource to pharmacists processing community prescriptions for patients presenting to the facility. Receives and processes for mail forwarded prescriptions from pharmacists, when mail processing is acceptable, or prior authorization is required. Receives requests from VA staff to review reimbursement requests for prescriptions filled at community pharmacies. Completes reviews according to requirements. Provides results to requestor, when needed. Completes required actions in the VA database. Ensures safe and appropriate medication therapy by carefully executing each step in the dispensing process according to law, regulatory standards, VHA policies, and standard of care. Completes required actions for internal and external quality assurance and regulatory bodies such as Patient Safety, Performance Improvement, VA Pharmacy Benefits Management (PBM), and Joint Commission. Develops and meets goals for assigned quality and clinical metrics. Evaluates processes and makes timely and effective decisions to facilitate change and produce results that improve performance and patient care. Collects and compiles data, prepares reports, and presents to appropriate bodies. Designs and implements program evaluation and quality assurance programs accurately representing current and desired states. Builds and presents business case for program justification and modification. Complies with all Pharmacy Service and Medical Center policies and procedures including security, corporate performance standards, professional conduct, infection control, and environment of care. Maintains current, comprehensive knowledge of evidence-based practices, and actively pursues opportunities for continuous professional development. Exhibits expert understanding of regulatory and quality standards for the program area. Keeps current with changes in the Service, and professional practice standards including VHA, DEA, FDA, OIG, JC and other regulators, their policies, and procedures. Actively participates in VHA and medical center committees and professional work groups. Participates in teaching pharmacy students and residents. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00AM - 4:30PM, weekends evenings and holidays as determined by the agency Telework: Ad-hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met. Basic Requirements: United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. English Language Proficiency. Pharmacists must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), and 7407(d). Licensure. Full, current and unrestricted license to practice pharmacy in a State, Territory, Commonwealth of the United States (i.e., Puerto Rico), or the District of Columbia. The pharmacist must maintain current registration if this is a requirement for maintaining full, current, and unrestricted licensure. A pharmacist who has, or has ever had, any license(s) revoked, suspended, denied, restricted, limited, or issued/placed in a probationary status may be appointed only in accordance with the provisions in VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3, section B, paragraph 16. Education. (1) Graduate of an Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) accredited College or School of Pharmacy with a baccalaureate degree in pharmacy (BS Pharmacy) and/or a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degree. Verification of approved degree programs may be obtained from the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education, 20 North Clark Street, Suite 2500, Chicago, Illinois 60602-5109; phone: (312) 664-3575, or through their Web site at: http://www.acpe-accredit.org/. (NOTE: Prior to 2005 ACPE accredited both baccalaureate and Doctor of Pharmacy terminal degree program. Today the sole degree is Doctor of Pharmacy.) (2) Graduates of foreign pharmacy degree programs meet the educational requirement if the graduate is able to provide proof of achieving the Foreign Pharmacy Graduate Examination Commission (FPGEC) Certification, which includes passing the Foreign Pharmacy Graduate Equivalency Examination (FPGEE) and the Test of English as a Foreign Language Internet-Based Test (TOEFL iBT). May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria). NOTE: Individuals who have or have had multiple licenses and had any such license revoked for professional misconduct, professional incompetence or substandard care, or who surrendered such license after receiving written notice of potential termination of such license by the State for professional misconduct, professional incompetence, or substandard care, are not eligible for appointment to the position unless such revoked or surrendered license is fully restored (38 U.S.C. ? 7402(f)). Effective November 30, 1999, this is a requirement for employment. This requirement does not apply to licensed pharmacists on VA rolls as of that date, provided they maintain continuous appointment and are not disqualified for employment by any subsequent revocations or voluntary surrenders of State license, registration or certification. Exception. Non-licensed pharmacists who otherwise meet the eligibility requirements may be given a temporary appointment at the entry level as a Graduate Pharmacist under the authority of 38 U.S.C. ? 7405(c)(2)(B). The appointing official may waive the requirement of licensure for a period not to exceed 2 years for a pharmacist that provides care under the supervision of a licensed pharmacist. For grade levels above the GS-11, the candidate must be licensed. Failure to Obtain License. In all cases, pharmacists must actively pursue meeting state prerequisites for licensure starting from the date of their appointment. At the time of appointment, the supervisor will provide the unlicensed pharmacist with the written requirement to obtain licensure, the date by which the license must be acquired, and the consequences for not becoming licensed by the deadline. Failure to become licensed within 2 years from date of appointment will result in removal from the GS-0660 Pharmacist series and may result in termination of employment. Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment in paragraph 2, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates. GS-11 Pharmacist: (a) Experience, Education, and Licensure. None beyond the basic requirements. (b) Assignment. Pharmacists at this grade level serve in a developmental capacity. GS-12 Clinical Pharmacist (Full Performance Level) (a) Experience or Education. In addition to the basic requirements, candidates must meet one of the following: 1. One (1) year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level, or 2. Completion of an ACPE-accredited Pharm.D. program. Pharmacists assigned to this position must demonstrate the following knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs): 1. Knowledge of professional pharmacy practice. 2. Ability to communicate orally and in writing to both patients and health care staff. 3. Knowledge of laws, regulations, and accreditation standards related to the distribution and control of scheduled and non-scheduled drugs and pharmacy security. 4. Skill in monitoring and assessing the outcome of drug therapies, including physical assessment and interpretation of laboratory and other diagnostic parameters. (b) Assignment. A pharmacist in this assignment handles routine medication-related activities in accordance with local, Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN), and national policies and regulations. These include, but are not limited to: reviewing, interpreting, and verifying medication orders for appropriateness; processing and filling medication orders; interacting with and making recommendations to other clinical staff regarding medication therapy ordered to ensure safe and effective care; reviewing the patient's medications, allergies, labs, and other pertinent information from the medical record to identify and solve medication-related problems; contacting providers as appropriate; documenting recommendations and interventions; providing refill extensions and partial medication supplies; taking health and medication histories; performing medication reconciliation; providing drug information; assisting in formulary management including therapeutic substitutions, nonformulary reviews and medication usage evaluations; documenting and assessing adverse drug events (ADEs); assisting in medical emergencies; providing oversight of technical staff in all aspects of medication distribution. References: VA Handbook 5005/55, Part II, Appendix G15 The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-12. Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.

Education

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Contacts

• Address VA Eastern Kansas Health Care System 2200 SW Gage Blvd Topeka, KS 66622 US
• Name: Sonja Nixon
• Phone: 3104783711 X44895
• Email: [email protected]